


Ace

by joeyrz



Category: Xena: Warrior Princess
Genre: First Time, M/M, Natural Disasters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-12-22
Updated: 2005-12-22
Packaged: 2017-10-17 07:46:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/174531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joeyrz/pseuds/joeyrz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tragedy strikes Pylos, and Asclepius is there to help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ace

**Author's Note:**

> For Joxerotica’s 2005 Solstice Story Exchange! For Qzeebrella, who asked for Joxer/Asclepius angst story with a happy/fluffy ending and the following plot: “Ace goes to help out his overworked healers at the scene of a natural disaster where a lot of people were injured/killed and sees Joxer keeping the children amused with stories and jokes. Sees that Xena respects Joxer but Gabrielle doesn't. Pretends to be mortal and travels with Xena and Joxer in order to get to know the young man and falls in love.”. I didn’t manage it exactly as was wished, but my Muse decided that *this* is how she wanted it, so who was I to argue?
> 
> One of my own favorite stories ;)

The first pain filled cry didn’t wake him. Centuries of experience made him filter out the cries for help, automatically sorting which ones to attend to, which ones to ignore. Pulling the duvet closer around him, Asclepius went back to sleep.

When that first cry was joined by a couple of dozens others just seconds later, he almost fell out of his bed in alarm.

Not bothering to call his father, Asclepius dressed himself with a quick wave of his hand and flashed out of his temple, leaving gold colored sparkles to fade into nothingness in his place, the slight breeze created by the displaced air stirring them, rebounding the light of the early morning sun for a few seconds.

He appeared, invisible to mortal eyes’, in the middle of a disaster area. The city of Pylos was buried under the ruins of its’ once impressive structures. Asclepius looked around trying to decipher the cause to the disaster and was swiftly answered by Gaia, as the earth shook beneath him, catching him off guard and tumbling him off his feet.

He quickly decided to assume mortal appearance. He wouldn’t be able to control the crowds of injured people if his godhood was revealed. He could do much more as a mortal healer. Moving into a still sturdy but empty building, he exchanged his toga for comfortable brown leathers, creating a pouch of medicines to carry, from where he could pull out endless supplies.

 

Leaving the building, he scanned the city, quickly locating one large structure that was relatively unharmed by the earthquake and the groups of more seriously injured or trapped mortals.

It was slow work to recruit the uninjured to assist him into rescuing the other mortals and moving them into their make shift hospital, but within hours more than half of the survivors were being taken care of.

His group was tiring after moving rock and stone to find their compatriots. Asclepius wanted to feed them energy, but feared his true identity would be revealed.

The boost of energy they needed came as the sound of hoof beats on the packed dirt road. Asclepius looked up in time to see his uncle’s favorite warrior, Xena, and her companions, arrive in Pylos.

Rising to his feet as she dismounted her horse, he met her in a warrior’s handshake.

“I’m Xena, this is Gabrielle and Joxer. We saw your signal,” Xena said, motioning to the bonfire he’d begun, the thick smoke rising from it serving as a help call to all in the vicinity.

“I’m Ace. I’m glad it worked,” he answered, managing a weary, but heartfelt smile for the young man in mismatched armor that stood slightly behind the blond girl.

“How can we help?”

~*~*~*~*~

The hours passed them all by without noticing. With Xena leading the small rescue group, Ace returned to their temporary hospital. One of the newest buildings, it served as the city’s school. The twenty something kids were clustered in a corner of the room, allowing the most space for the injured patients.

The smell of death became stronger every hour, as, even with all the medicines and the knowledge readily available to him, Ace lost to Hades more and more mortals.

As night fell, Xena and the others finally entered the make shift hospital, not having found another living mortal in the ruins. After a few minutes break, they decided to move the dead outside and start gathering wood for a massive funeral pyre.

Ace, at Gabrielle’s insistence, took a break. He took in the mortals around him, the whimpers and moans of pain and the many soft prayers mixing into an almost intolerable cadence that was broken by the most out of place sound one could imagine in such a place: a child’s laughter.

His gaze quickly drawn to the corner where the children were seated, Asclepius was unaware his feet were carrying him closer to the melodious sound.

The children’s teacher was one of the men that had volunteered to help in the rescue mission, and Ace had believe the kids had stayed alone up to that point. It was that why it was such a surprise to find Joxer in the middle of the group of children.

He had seated them so they all faced away from the rest of the room, shielding them from seeing the going on’s of the hospital. A few of the youngest kids were already asleep, all tucked in together under one worse for wear blanket.

Joxer had taken off his helmet and armor, which was being worn in pieces by different kids. His face was animated as he recounted with great passion the story of when Baby Bliss had gotten loose on the mortal realm. The children laughed at Joxer’s funny expressions, though not necessarily understanding what was so funny about Bliss’ antics.

“I think it’s time to sleep now, kids,” Joxer said and was met by their moans of disappointment.

“I’ll tell you more stories tomorrow, but now, we all need a good night’s sleep.”

“You’re gonna find our mommas tomorrow, aren’t you, Joxer?” One little girl asked.

“I’m going to try my very best to, Brena.” With a kiss to her forehead, he got the kids to lay as comfortable as they could get. One more managed to snuggle underneath the blanket. Joxer looked anxiously at the kids laying on the hard floor, without anything keeping the cold out.

Not giving it a second thought, Ace stepped behind a column, and making sure no one saw him, materialized a couple of more blankets, warm and soft, but looking as though very well used.

“Here,” Ace said, stepping from behind the column. “I found these, and thought the children might need them more than me.” Handing one to Joxer, he swept the blanket open and laid it over a group of kids. With the mortal occupied covering the remaining children, he exerted a bit of power to make the first blanket warmer, and the floor beneath them softer.

“Thank you,” Joxer finally said, giving Ace an enthusiastic handshake.

“No, thank *you*.”

“I haven’t done anything.”

“You took care of the kids. I’d completely forgotten about them. Without anyone minding them, keeping them occupied, they might have been hurt, scared or traumatized.”

“I couldn’t leave them alone there. Gabby will kill me later, I was supposed to bring the blanket to her, but the kids were shivering!”

“You did good.”

Joxer beamed at Ace, who felt a very strange sensation of warmth spread all over him. Never had a mortal had that effect on him.

He had to admit it felt very good.

They were slowly walking around, Ace stopping now and then to check on a patient and redress wounds. They were reaching the front entrance, halfway across the room, when Xena found them.

“Joxer! Where have you been? Gabrielle said you disappeared since we arrived. I was getting worried.”

“Nothing to be worried about, Xena,” Joxer enthused, puffing his chest out slightly. “I can take care of myself.”

Xena chuckled, amused. She cast a quick, appraising glance at Ace, who’s attention was entirely focused on Joxer and smiled. The young man was a good leader and wonderful healer. She nodded to herself in approval.

“Let’s go. I managed to catch a few rabbits, and Gabrielle’s cooking them now.” Not waiting for their answer, she set off to the back of the makeshift hospital, where a small group of people were already sampling Gabrielle’s rabbit stew. Joxer and Ace followed Xena, staying a few feet behind her and discussing the best way to cook rabbit.

“JOXER! Where in Hades have you been?” It was Gabrielle’s shrill voice that interrupted their conversation. “I’ve had to deal with all these wounded people all by myself. I thought I asked you to give me that blanket of yours to make some half way decent bandages!”

“I’m sorry, Gabby, I was-”

“I don’t want to hear one of your tall tales, Joxer! You’ve got to learn to follow instructions.”

Joxer lowered his gaze, ashamed.

“Gabrielle…” Xena said in reproach.

“Now hold on, young lady,” Ace said, irritated at Gabrielle’s rough words. “Joxer here has been doing a great job taking care of this city’s children, whose school we overtook. They were scared and alone, and no one, not me, not you, not even their own parents, even gave them a second thought. He kept them safe, fed, entertained, and warm - with that blanket of his. And the only wounded that ended up in your care, were those who wouldn’t suffer from your amateurish healer skills.”

By the time Ace finished talking Gabrielle down, the bard was beet red with anger and embarrassment, Xena didn’t know whether to defend her partner or applaud Ace, and Joxer was beaming so much, Apollo would have been blinded.

“Come on, Joxer. We should sleep with the children. They might wake up scared and they really shouldn’t be alone.”

~*~*~*~*~

Asclepius made regular rounds across the room to check on his patients, spending time even with those that were uninjured, but whose loved ones had died.

The sun had risen once again when he finally settled down next to Joxer. He wasn’t surprised to see the young mortal turn and rise onto his elbow to stare at him silently.

“Dinar for your thoughts,” Ace joked.

Joxer sat up, crossing his legs in front of him. “You’re a god.”

It wasn’t a question, and Asclepius found no reason to deny it. He sat up next to Joxer, glad that he didn’t move away.

“Asclepius,” he confirmed. “My family calls me Ace.”

“Couldn’t you just, you know, wave your hand and heal them all?”

“Doesn’t work that way. I do not have the power to do that.”

“Does Apollo? He’s your father, isn’t he?”

“He is, but he’s not capable either. Not in a case of this magnitude. Besides, my father’s not that given to help mortal men with their problems.”

Joxer stayed silent, seemingly to consider that statement. The silence stretched for minutes until Ace couldn’t stand it.

“How did you know?”

“That pouch of yours is endless and though you certainly look mortal, you’ve yet to break a sweat, get dirty or be tired. It doesn’t really take a genius to figure it out.”

Ace ran a hand guiltily over his immaculate hair, messing it up purposely, and chuckled in self reproach. “I haven’t done this ‘pretend to be mortal’ thing often,” he explained.

“It shows.” Joxer smiled then reached out to push back a lock of hair that had fallen onto Ace’s forehead.

Asclepius reached up to softly grab Joxer’s hand, but held it where it was, cradling the side of his face.

“I’m sorry, is this okay?” Joxer asked him softly.

“More than.” Ace’s tentative smile grew wider, as, as he moved closer to Joxer, the young man imitated his movements, bringing their faces so close their skin tingled.

“Can I?”

“Please.”

The whispered words were lost as their lips met in a soft kiss. Sweet and timid, it quickly grew bold and passionate.

Long minutes passed, before Joxer broke away, gasping for breath, his smile splitting his face. He leaned his body closer to Asclepius, who held him tightly.

“This isn’t going to be easy.”

“No. But we’ll work it out.”

The end


End file.
